Suzanne Kelley Named 2024 Don Richards Leadership Award Winner

Congratulations to former Waukesha County Business Alliance President & CEO Suzanne Kelley on being named the 2024 Don Richards Leadership Award winner.

Don Richards was publisher of The Milwaukee Business Journal and president of the Board of the Waukesha Area Chamber of Commerce (now the Alliance) in 1993. Don’s hands-on leadership, ethics and delight in achieving tangible results left a lasting impression on our leaders today. The Don Richards Leadership Award was created in his honor in 1993 to inspire and motivate business people to take community leadership roles.

Recipients for this prestigious award are selected based on their vision for the communities in which they serve, their impact and their ability to involve others in the leadership process.

After 14 years of transformative leadership, Suzanne Kelley retired from the Waukesha County Business Alliance. Kelley joined the Alliance in September 2009 when it was known as the Waukesha County Chamber of Commerce. Within a year, she led the Chamber to merge with the Waukesha County Action Network to create the Alliance. Under her leadership, the Alliance launched multiple employer collaboratives, and worked hand-in-hand with Waukesha County and business and municipal leaders to launch the Waukesha County Center for Growth, the county’s economic development organization. With a background in government affairs, she led the Alliance to increase its advocacy efforts and had an impact on several key issues such as Lake Michigan water for the City of Waukesha, completion of the West Waukesha bypass, funding to improve the safety of I-94 in Southeast Wisconsin and enhanced technical education funding. She was also influential in enacting the state’s manufacturing and agricultural tax credits, pushing for affordable workforce housing, and supporting innovative transportation solutions.

Kelley earned the 2021 Woman of Distinction award by the Women and Girls Fund of Waukesha County and was named to the 2013 Women of Influence class by the Milwaukee Business Journal. She served as a 2015 Campaign Co-Chair for United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County and served on the United Way Board of Directors. She also served on the Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce (WMC) Board of Directors and the Wisconsin Chamber of Commerce Executives (WCCE) Advisory Board.